I have been informed that my last dot is out of fashion. So here is a newer dot that you all might enjoy, which is similar to my last dot (Pandora Internet Radio). However, this one uses Popularity, Time, Genre, Mood, and Tempo, to deliver your custom radio station. Check it out!

Hmmm. Buzz. Three cheers for buzz. Yay.

I think "buzz" is the only *potential* positive return on investment for Microsoft that I can fathom as to why this stupid thing ever came into existence. I say *potential* because indeed this might create buzz…but, buzz isn’t always good buzz. Buzz can be negative or positive. And one can’t help but notice that other than the novelty, this thing does an extremely poor job of searching the web. And that is not good buzz; that’s bad user experience.

But I question whether the sole purpose for Microsoft’s investment of time, money, and talent was solely to create “buzz”. Maybe, Microsoft still doesn’t get it? I came away from the experience with a bad buzz, thinking to myself:

“Wow! Microsoft does not get what makes for a good user experience! Why in the world would anyone ever want to use this as their web search engine? Perhaps this thing was designed for people who have trouble getting a date or who do not get out much? I don’t know. It definitely was not designed for me. And it definitely was not designed for searching the web.

If the intent was for this to be a viable web search engine, then the design focus is completely misplaced and out of balance with function and usefulness. However, if the intent was for this to be a game of ‘Leisure Suite Larry’, then why the option to search the web at all? In this implementation, the search engine is completely irrelevant because the design emphasis is to ‘tickle and tease’ rather than to engage in the functional task of ‘searching the web’.

At the very least, I should have been asked whether or not I even wanted to waste my time flirting with a search engine (btw, how weird is that?!). And, if I actually did want to flirt instead of search, at least ask me for my ‘preferences’…because Ms. Dewey doesn’t do it for me (my wife does)!

This experience is on par with Clippy and the Animated XP Search Characters (i.e. the puppy dog). The novelty wears off extremely quickly!!!”

Fun little flash music videos, each having something to do with Zune (I'll let you decide just what that is).

Zune is coming "zune" to a store near you...